Lou Rawls / Les McCann Ltd. Stormy Monday

When Lou Rawls (1933 - 2006) entered the recording studio in Los Angeles in February 1962 to record his first album, 'Stormy Monday' in collaboration with Les McCann's combo, hardly anyone could have guessed what success and popularity the black singer, songwriter, producer and film actor would achieve in the coming decades. In 1966 he made his breakthrough with Love Is A Hurtin' Thing and reached the top of the R&B charts.
Four years earlier the situation was different. Rawls had grown up in the south side of Chicago, got in touch with gospel music early, met Curtis Mayfield and replaced Sam Cooke in the Highway QC's a few years later. At eighteen, he moved to the West Coast, released his first recordings, and created a masterpiece along with jazz pianist LesMcCann, a prototype of the cool jazz/blues melange so characteristic for the L.A. music scene.
The silky deep baritone voice carries the reinterpretations of such famous blues classics as (They Call It) Stormy Monday, See See See Rider, I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town or In The Evening When The Sun Goes Down. Lou Rawls just possesses that voice!
But besides the song selection and Lou Rawls' goose-bump producing voice, the small combo of Les McCann - also known as Ltd. - must be credited for the incredibly coherent production. Part of the recordings were made during a night session, which must be regarded as one of the gentlest and most relaxed recording sessions in history. With 'Stormy Monday' Rawls and McCann turn away from the then popular 'Neo-Gospel' or 'Soul-Jazz'. Their wonderful arrangements are reminiscent of the great rhythm and blues of the early 50s. The result: pure electricity! In other words: one of the most beautiful cool Jazz/Blues albums of its time!